Financial Value Added: Suatu Paradigma Dalam Pengukuran Kinerja Dan Nilai Tambah Perusahaan

One of alternative concept for measuring financial performance is Economic Value Added (EVA). Beside that a value added-based approach that has not regularly been studied empirically is that using Financial Value Added (FVA). This paper tries to explain in detail how to measure business performance and value added based on FVA related to financial management decisions

Observational learning computations in neurons of the human anterior cingulate cortex

When learning from direct experience, neurons in the primate brain have been shown to encode a teaching signal used by algorithms in artificial intelligence: the reward prediction error (PE)—the difference between how rewarding an event is, and how rewarding it was expected to be. However, in humans and other species learning often takes place by observing other individuals. Here, we show that, when humans observe other players in a card game, neurons in their rostral anterior cingulate cortex (rACC) encode both the expected value of an observed choice, and the PE after the outcome was revealed. Notably, during the same task neurons recorded in the amygdala (AMY) and the rostromedial prefrontal cortex (rmPFC) do not exhibit this type of encoding. Our results suggest that humans learn by observing others, at least in part through the encoding of observational PEs in single neurons in the rACC

Forks, pincers, and triggers: the tools for nucleotide incorporation and translocation in multi-subunit RNA polymerases

The central role of RNA polymerase (RNAP) is to catalyze the processive synthesis of a growing RNA transcript. Recent structural and biophysical data have lead to a deeper understanding of the nucleotide addition cycle and insight into the structure-function relationships that govern transcription elongation. In this review, we discuss kinetic data on nucleotide incorporation in the context of crystal structures, which show RNAP in multiple conformations. We present a facilitated Brownian ratchet model of nucleotide incorporation, in which templated NTP binding to a non-catalytic site in the main channel promotes the conformational changes that lead to opening of the catalytic site and translocation

Single molecule studies of DNA mismatch repair

DNA mismatch repair involves is a widely conserved set of proteins that is essential to limit genetic drift in all organisms. The same system of proteins plays key roles in many cancer related cellular transactions in humans. Although the basic process has been reconstituted in vitro using purified components, many fundamental aspects of DNA mismatch repair remain hidden due in part to the complexity and transient nature of the interactions between the mismatch repair proteins and DNA substrates. Single molecule methods offer the capability to uncover these transient but complex interactions and allow novel insights into mechanisms that underlie DNA mismatch repair. In this review, we discuss applications of single molecule methodology including electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, particle tracking, FRET, and optical trapping to studies of DNA mismatch repair. These studies have led to formulation of mechanistic models of how proteins identify single base mismatches in the vast background of matched DNA and signal for their repair

Observational learning computations in neurons of the human anterior cingulate cortex

When learning from direct experience, neurons in the primate brain have been shown to encode a teaching signal used by algorithms in artificial intelligence: the reward prediction error (PE)—the difference between how rewarding an event is, and how rewarding it was expected to be. However, in humans and other species learning often takes place by observing other individuals. Here, we show that, when humans observe other players in a card game, neurons in their rostral anterior cingulate cortex (rACC) encode both the expected value of an observed choice, and the PE after the outcome was revealed. Notably, during the same task neurons recorded in the amygdala (AMY) and the rostromedial prefrontal cortex (rmPFC) do not exhibit this type of encoding. Our results suggest that humans learn by observing others, at least in part through the encoding of observational PEs in single neurons in the rACC

Diffusive hidden Markov model characterization of DNA looping dynamics in tethered particle experiments

In many biochemical processes, proteins bound to DNA at distant sites are brought into close proximity by loops in the underlying DNA. For example, the function of some gene-regulatory proteins depends on such DNA looping interactions. We present a new technique for characterizing the kinetics of loop formation in vitro, as observed using the tethered particle method, and apply it to experimental data on looping induced by lambda repressor. Our method uses a modified (diffusive) hidden Markov analysis that directly incorporates the Brownian motion of the observed tethered bead. We compare looping lifetimes found with our method (which we find are consistent over a range of sampling frequencies) to those obtained via the traditional threshold-crossing analysis (which can vary depending on how the raw data are filtered in the time domain). Our method does not involve any time filtering and can detect sudden changes in looping behavior. For example, we show how our method can identify transitions between long-lived, kinetically distinct states that would otherwise be difficult to discern

Awareness regarding eye donation among stakeholders in Srikakulam district in South India

Background There is a huge need for the availability of transplantable donor corneas worldwide to reduce the burden of corneal blindness due to corneal opacity. Voluntary eye donation depends on the awareness levels of various stakeholders in the community. This study aimed to assess the awareness level regarding eye donation among various stakeholders in Srikakulam district in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. Methods 355 subjects were selected from the district using multi stage random sampling. A pre tested semi structured questionnaire was used to collect information regarding each individual’s awareness, knowledge, and perception regarding eye donation. Each response was scored individually and a total score was calculated. Univariate and multivariate regression analysis was used to determine the factors associated with willingness towards eye donation and increased awareness levels. Results Of the 355 subjects interviewed, 192 (54%) were male and 163 (46%) were female. The mean age of the stakeholders was 35.9 years (SD ±16.1) and all the study subjects were literate. Ninety-three percent of subjects were aware of the concept of eye donation. Knowledge levels were similar among the teaching community and persons engaged in social service, but lower among students (p < 0.05). Among the stakeholders, there was considerable ambiguity regarding whether persons currently wearing spectacles or suffering from a chronic illnesses could donate their eyes. Older age group (p < 0.001), female gender (p < 0.001) and education (p < 0.001) were associated with increased knowledge levels. 82% of the subjects were willing to donate their eyes and this was unaffected by gender or geographical location (rural vs urban). Conclusions Awareness levels and willingness to donate eyes are high among the stakeholders in Srikakulam district in India. The services of stakeholders could be utilized, in conjunction with other community based eye donation counselors, to promote awareness regarding eye donation among the general population

Substrate preference of Gen endonucleases highlights the importance of branched structures as DNA damage repair intermediates

Human GEN1 and yeast Yen1 are endonucleases with the ability to cleave Holliday junctions (HJs), which are proposed intermediates in recombination. In vivo, GEN1 and Yen1 function secondarily to Mus81, which has weak activity on intact HJs. We show that the genetic relationship is reversed in Drosophila, with Gen mutants having more severe defects than mus81 mutants. In vitro, DmGen, like HsGEN1, efficiently cleaves HJs, 5΄ flaps, splayed arms, and replication fork structures. We find that the cleavage rates for 5΄ flaps are significantly higher than those for HJs for both DmGen and HsGEN1, even in vast excess of enzyme over substrate. Kinetic studies suggest that the difference in cleavage rates results from a slow, rate-limiting conformational change prior to HJ cleavage: formation of a productive dimer on the HJ. Despite the stark difference in vivo that Drosophila uses Gen over Mus81 and humans use MUS81 over GEN1, we find the in vitro activities of DmGen and HsGEN1 to be strikingly similar. These findings suggest that simpler branched structures may be more important substrates for Gen orthologs in vivo, and highlight the utility of using the Drosophila model system to further understand these enzymes